I had the opportunity to visit Gyeongju World this past weekend and see their new expansion, Dragon Valley, which includes their new B&M Dive coaster, Dragon. Gyeongju World is located in the southeast part of Korea and is around a 2.5 hour KTX (high speed train) ride from Seoul. Gyeongju is one of the more historically-significant cities in Korea and has a ton of cultural sites to see including palaces, tombs, and museums. If you do visit Korea, do yourself a favor and spend a few days there.
So overall, Gyeongju World did a nice job with this expansion. In addition to Dragon, the park added a Zamperla Air Race, looping frisbee, and...a Dunkin Donuts! Having ridden Griffon at Busch Gardens several times already, I didn’t expect anything different from Dragon. However, I was quite surprised. The transitions seemed to have a bit more ‘snap’ to them. Plus, the park did a fantastic job with the entry and station theming. The trains, unlike Griffon, are 8 seats across but do also feature the ‘old’ B&M restraints.
I first visited Gyeongju World 3 years ago and while it was a nice park, I found myself satisfied and ready to leave after 2-3 hours. I’ve lived in Seoul since 2012 so I’ve honestly become a bit bored of T-Express (gasp!) and Lotte World. Having two B&M’s in one park now makes this a ‘must stop’ for coaster nerds visiting Korea.
So this TR starts at an English school on a Saturday. I teach a debate class to a bunch of rascals (term of affection) and today our book topic was, “are girls better than boys?” This little guy, Tony, was adamant that girls are not better than boys.
After much discussion, it was decided that boys are actually better than girls. #Democracy
After diffusing a small spat between Korean elementary students, I hopped on the high speed train down to Gyeongju. A one way ticket was around $40
My Airbnb for two nights
Any Airbnb that provides candy and ‘mystery’ tablets is fine by me. Yolo!
There’s an old Korean folktale about a boy who wets his bed. To shame him, his parents make him wear this basket on his head while he goes to the neighbor to request salt to pour on the soiled mattress. Luckily, I didn’t wet the bed...this time ;)
Ok enough culture! So when you get to the park, you’re greeted by Dragon which dominates the park entrance plaza. The nice ticket lady looked at me and asked, “are you a foreigner?” I said yes and was quickly given a 30% discount. But first!...
Coffee! The Starbucks across the street provides a nice view of the new coaster.
The entrance way
Gyeongju World loves you
Take a right and you’ll find the entrance to the new Dragon Valley.
Next up was Dragon Race. This was my first time trying one of these and....yeah, they’re not for me :/
Next up was Crack: The Ride....err Klake, I mean. I was unsure of trying Crack, but many people seemed to enjoy it and were acting all crazy. I rode it and loved it. In fact, I became addicted to Crack! It’s seriously awesome!...be sure to try it.
While on Crack, something looked awfully familiar. Hmm...
After getting off Crack, I was feeling quite parched so I decided to stop in to ye olde Dunkin Donuts for a beverage.
As my friend asked, “why would you possibly need a straw for that cup of chicken?” Answer: there’s a small cup of chicken on top of the cola (or “pop” where I’m from) and it’s awesome!
The park’s Ferris wheel gives you great views of Dragon and the rest of the park.
Overview of the park
I’ll be with you shortly, Phaethon
Hey Tagada’s are always awkward fun. The park also has dogs and mechanical livestock for you to ride around on.
Next up was Phaethon. It’s a decent invert. This had the longest line of the day so I only rode once.
So after riding Dragon a few mores times and doing Crack again, I decided to head out after spending about 4.5 hours at the park. They have a flume, rapids, and a wave ride but I wasn’t in the mood to get wet. Overall, it’s a nice park that I recommend visiting if you’re in Korea. And remember, Gyeongju World will always love you! Thanks for reading!
Thanks for the update!! It looks really great. We were in the Seoul area a few years ago and had a wonderful time - we'd love to make it back and see some of the rest of the country. You're right, this + Phaethon makes this park nearly unavoidable. Next time!
Great report! It's so weird seeing an orange Griffon. I almost never hear anything about Phaethon too and usually forget it even exists.
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I had the opportunity to visit Gyeongju World this past weekend and see their new expansion, Dragon Valley, which includes their new B&M Dive coaster, Dragon. Gyeongju World is located in the southeast part of Korea and is around a 2.5 hour KTX (high speed train) ride from Seoul. Gyeongju is one of the more historically-significant cities in Korea and has a ton of cultural sites to see including palaces, tombs, and museums. If you do visit Korea, do yourself a favor and spend a few days there.
So overall, Gyeongju World did a nice job with this expansion. In addition to Dragon, the park added a Zamperla Air Race, looping frisbee, and...a Dunkin Donuts! Having ridden Griffon at Busch Gardens several times already, I didn’t expect anything different from Dragon. However, I was quite surprised. The transitions seemed to have a bit more ‘snap’ to them. Plus, the park did a fantastic job with the entry and station theming. The trains, unlike Griffon, are 8 seats across but do also feature the ‘old’ B&M restraints.
I first visited Gyeongju World 3 years ago and while it was a nice park, I found myself satisfied and ready to leave after 2-3 hours. I’ve lived in Seoul since 2012 so I’ve honestly become a bit bored of T-Express (gasp!) and Lotte World. Having two B&M’s in one park now makes this a ‘must stop’ for coaster nerds visiting Korea.
LOOTY - Thanks SO much for sharing this little bit of magic in Korea! Your photos and your quips were totally entertaining, and I really enjoyed this introduction to a Korean Theme Park! (Am still reeling from your fried chicken on top of cola! Heck - why not?? I'm up to any new culinary experience!) Many thanks for this most enjoyable TR!
P.S. I LOVE Korean cuisine and am lucky to live a few subway stops from a Korean area in NYC. I've tried almost everything -- except chicken and cola. It's not on the menus...yet!!
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I'm glad you had a wonderful time!
